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Venezuelan cardinal decries trend toward ‘Cubanization’

In a television appearance, Venezuela’s leading prelate criticized socialism and denounced trends toward “Cubanization,” the Fides news agency reported.

Referring to officials f the government of President Nicolás Maduro, Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino of Caracas said that “they want to bring us towards that system, but we say that it is not correct.”

Cardinal Urosa frequently voiced concern about totalitarian trends in the regime of Maduro’s predecessor, the late Hugo Chávez.

Meanwhile Bishop Oswaldo Azuaje of Trujillo issued a public letter in which he voiced his hope for the success of the “first tentative and nervous meetings” between the Venezuelan government and opposition leaders. While hopeful about those talks, Bishop Azuaje said that the situation in Venezuela has deteriorated because of a government approach that has been “clearly ideological and showed no respect for the democratic vision of the constitution.”

The current unrest in Venezuela, the bishop wrote, “is rooted in the insecurity and criminal violence, the lack of basic foodstuffs and medicines, the unprecedented inflation and shortages, the lack of foreign currency, the attacks on the media—all these things are a reflection of the ruling style of the government.” Bishop Azuaje reminded the faithful that the Venezuelan bishops have called for a past on Good Friday “so that we can pray for peace and be in solidarity with those most in need.”

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